Quilting With Buck

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...

"Quilting With Buck"

Bluebirds for Thanksgiving

No, silly, not to eat!

These bluebirds live in our backyard and showed up yesterday and today to our side window. I thought they went to warmer climates for the winter! Their schedules must be off! According to the Michigan DNR website, most Michigan bluebirds migrate south in winter, but a few southern Michigan residents stay here during mild winters. Maybe they are talking about OUR bluebirds?!!?

1, 2, 3 bluebirds sitting on a fence... sounds like a preschool song, doesn't it?

In Time for Christmas

I have a few copies of my books available for purchase if you are looking for something "quilty" to give to a friend or loved one.

America's Pictorial Quilts $15.00 plus shipping

Contemporary Quilts from Traditional Designs Paperback $10.00 plus shipping
Hard cover $15.00 plus shipping

I will ship U.S. Priority Mail® $4.00 for anywhere in the USA; International buyers contact me for special rates.

Happy Thanksgiving! Where are you from?

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving 2007!


Where on this planet do you live? Please click on COMMENT below and share your location. It's nice to know where other visitors are from.

Blessings,

For I will give thanks and extol You, O Lord, among the nations;

I will sing praises to Your name. 2 Samuel 22:50

Dear Jane Map on Frappr

My 10 yards of background fabric for my Dear Jane quilt arrived yesterday. I quickly tossed them into the washer and drier to get that step out of the way. Washing it was no big deal... in it goes, regular cycle, hot water, detergent, softener... then fan it into the drier until just barely damp. Pull out, shake, fold, store. Easy as pie!

I found a map on Frappr that keeps track of people who are into Dear Jane Quilts and added myself to the group. You can check it out below. To add yourself, simply click on the map to be taken to the page to do so. Enjoy!

Dear Jane Quilt background - decided!

I will be starting my Dear Jane quilt after the Christmas holiday...


Today, I decided on the background and placed my order on http://www.equilter.com/ . It's easier for me to order online from equilter... it takes me awhile to decide what I want to commit to, so I can use their Wish List feature and keep coming back to it. I can't do that with my favorite quilt shop in East Lansing, Michigan. It's an hour's drive away!





So this is what I have selected and the mailman will be bringing soon:

I wanted something that read a honey-mustard, soft yet deep golden tone. I think this gives it to me! The quilt will be scrappy in nature... lots of different colors to blend nicely with this (I hope).

So, what do you think???

Let me know by posting your comments here.

Dear Jane, Please finish my basement for me

Hubby and I are planning on a long project together... to finish our basement so we have more usable space, and so I have a place to quilt and store my quilty stuff. It will be done one little step at a time, as we can afford it and have time to do it, as most of the work will be done by us. What a task! But it's one I'm looking forward to with great anticipation.

I am also looking forward to starting a Dear Jane quilt. I don't want to rush the start, though... this will also be a long project, and I'm not sure if I want a scrappy look or a planned look with selected colors. I'm leaning more towards the scrappy look. I love scrap quilts, and it will give me an opportunity to use some of those little bits of fabric that I've been saving all these years. I have some from the 30's and 40's that were passed on to me from my Aunt Jean. They are leftovers from the only quilt she ever made, so I will be happy to include them in this special piece.

I am also going to be busy over the winter making my new granddaughter-to-be her christening gown. I got permission from her mommy (Kim) to go ahead with my plan, which is to make the gown out of my wedding dress. I've saved my wedding dress for 32 years now, sealed away in a long box. For what??? I have two sons. Sean didn't wear the dress for his wedding, and I doubt that Loren will, either! So I'm thinking of using it for the little one's gown, and there will be enough left over for something special later. Has anyone ever done this before? I need to find a pattern, or at least something I can adapt so that it will be the right 3-6 month size. If you have made a christening gown before, please don't hesitate to contact me via email or comment to this post.

Pay It Forward...

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

Family in Fall

I love October in Michigan. You never know what the weather will be like. Here's a photo of my son Sean, his wife Kim and grandson Jacob carving their pumpkins. Notice the short sleeves? Usually this time of years it's between 45-55 degrees in mid-Michigan. Not in this photo! You could almost go swimming in the lake!

See if you can spot my granddaughter in the photo...

Robbi Joy Eklow

I have just stumbled across the website of Robbi Joy Eklow and am in love with her work - and just had to share it in case you've never seen it before.
I've always been drawn to more subdued colors, but the colors she uses excite me to the Nth degree! I'll be keeping my eyes open for a workshop taught by her somewhere close by.

Please go check out her website
and have your brain be tickled by her talent!
http://www.robbieklow.com/

***Originally posted on my other blog on Dec. 12, 2006. Posted here on Nov. 2, 2007.

Mary Shafer: Goodbye, Friend!

The world of quilting has lost a master. Mary Shafer of Flushing, MI passed away yesterday at the age of 96. Mary will be entered into the Quilter's Hall of Fame July 19-22, 2007 for her work promoting the history of quilting. Quilter Gwen Marston of Beaver Island, MI and Joe Cunningham of San Francisco, CA have been instrumental in promoting the fabulous work of this sweet lady.
I was blessed to have lived next door to Mary for 14+ years. She was a great friend, always sharing her knowledge of quilting and gardening with me. She loved to pop by unannounced to see what I was working on, or to bring me cuttings or whole plants from her yard. I remember one rainy September day she came over with this huge Burning Bush. Mary was a small woman, and the plant was nearly as big as she was. She said she'd been looking over my back yard and it was missing something. She finally figured out what it was - the firey red of a Burning Bush. We went out in the mud and planted it together - in the drizzle.
Goodbye, Friend.

***Originally posted on Dec, 23, 2006 on my other blog. Moved here on Nov. 2, 2007.

Seeing is Believing - Just how long IS a spool of thread?

Have you ever wondered how long the thread on a spool REALLY is?
I never really thought about it until this morning when I had to clean up the mess Stormie made unraveling an entire spool during the night. It was wrapped around the legs of my quilt frame (see photo below), around the dining table, under the couch, into the kitchen, back into the livingroom, down the hall and into Jake's bedroom... there it made unbelieveable trips around the dresser, mountain of guitars Dean stores there, and then under the couch (sleeper bed).
Must have been a fun night for this wacky cat!

***Originally posted 3/03/2007 on my other blog... moved here 11/02/2007.

Beautiful Table - Money for Missions

I have a VERY talented husband in the furniture business. Dean not only is one of Michigan's best restoration experts (probably THE best), but he is a talented woodworker as well. Our church is raising money for missions, and Dean made this beautiful hall credenza to help in the efforts. The table dimensions are 42L x 15D x 30H. It's made of American Walnut & Curly Hard Maple. It has a light, airy feel that is enhanced by uplifting curves that appear to pull the table upward. The highly figured split top floats lightly over the base to further convey a cloud-like feel. Take a look at the detail photo, below.


If you are interested in this table for yourself - or maybe for a great gift for someone - please contact Dean directly at either his website or via email at nmosey at comcast.net. A portion of the purchase price goes to the mission fund at Flushing United Methodist Church.